Crown Prince Martini
The first and only child of the hugely unpopular Crown Prince Ranier and Regenta Ilsa, Andrea Moreno Martini Carlucci was born on March 10, 1984 at the Royal Palace in Auriana. What should have been a great celebration became a national tragedy as Regenta Isla died shortly after due to complications arising from the troubled birth. The young prince and his father had a troubled relationship, and Martini spent his early life in the capital in the care of a governess before being sent to boarding schools in Turin, and then later in Paris, spending very little time with his father in the capital. Martini was a gifted student and soon completed his mandatory studies, attaining the highest possible grades in his Diploma Nacionale. Martini chose to stay away from Aurianus and at the age of 17 elected to attend Harvard University where he completed his studies. During his time in the United States, Martini became a fierce advocate of human rights, joining protests over issues in Burma, Afghanistan, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Syria and China. In July 2002 he was appointed as a special representative for Amnesty International and as UN special envoy for the organisation's human rights effort. In March 2009 Martini clashed with his estranged family over their flagrant abuse of the rights of 27 Lebanese refugees seeking asylum in Aurianus. The immigrants were wanted by the Syrian government on dubious treason charges, and a request for extradition was immediately issued. Crown Prince Rainier granted the request, counter to official and legal protocol, and the refugees promptly 'disappeared' upon arrival in Syria. These events were met with much shock and criticism amongst the populace and on the global stage. Two months later it emerged that Crown Prince Rainier had been granted a 35% share in the Syrian National Oil Company worth in excess of 36 billion Euros. Widely perceived as an act of gross corruption, and facing a growing tide of dissent in the Senate, Ranier began positioning himself to invoke the 'royal prerogative' and grant himself emergency powers. On the evening of June 13, 2009 Crown Prince Rainier convened a special session of the Senate, and it was widely anticipated that this session would be the last sitting of the 47th Senate. During his initial address, at precisely 7:33pm a gunshot was heard from high within the chamber. The bullet stuck Crown Prince Rainier directly through the heart killing him instantly. Despite the best efforts of the Aurianan police department the assassin remained unidentified and was never bought to justice. Some journalists and commentators posited theories that Aurianan government officials had arranged the assassination or deliberately protected the identity of the assassin, although no claims have ever been proven to date. Martini was shaken by the news, and although appearing outwardly unmoved by events returned to the royal residence in Auriana on June 14 and was not seen to leave the palace until June 21, when the Senate announced that a special election would be held on July 4. A special press conference was convened on the steps of the palace where Martini announced his intention to stand, citing his wish to bring the family name back to good repute and to return the reputation of Aurianus to a good standing. This platform proved overwhelmingly popular with the general populace and the liberal left, despite drawing heavy criticism from conservative opponents and commentators. His stance on human rights issues and his stance on ethical trade which advocated breaking ties with several countries in North Africa and the Middle East, comprising roughly half of the Aurianan export market proved particularly controversial with industrial and economic interest groups who aligned with his opponent and first cousin Josef Perona-Carlucci. The election campaign was fiercely fought and the polls continually showed both candidates to be neck and neck. Although closely contested the final result gave victory to Martini Carlucci with 54.7% of the vote to Josef Perona-Carlucci's 45.3%. Crown Prince Martini was sworn in on July 5 and the coronation ceremony took place one week later on July 12. His reign so far has seen Aurianus once again become recognised as beacon of justice and fairness in the international community and has also seen an increased trade and dialogue with its European neighbours. Also notable is its growing relationship with emerging Asian economies and the unprecedented contributions of the Aurianan government to overseas aid and development. Category:Princes Category:Leaders